“Watch
ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
1Cor16:13
WHAT
IS THE FAITH?
“Paul,
a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto
the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in
the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which
was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to
be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by
the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received
grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations,
for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:”
Rom1:1-6
The
faith (a term commonly used in the New Testament) refers to everything God did in Christ, through Christ and by
Christ on the Cross.
The
faith is what may also be known as Christianity. It is the work of
Christ on the Cross. It is the redemption and salvation that God has
accomplished for us on the Cross. The faith is the message of the
kingdom of heaven. It is the subject of the gospel.
This
work God had promised before through the law and the prophets that He
would do. He communicates this to us through the preaching of the
gospel. Those that believe come into what Paul calls ‘obedience
to the faith’. The word for obedience here also means
compliance and submission. In other words it means believing,
complying and submitting to what God has done on the Cross i.e. the
righteousness of God.
We
have received grace and apostleship for this purpose. That we obey,
believe, submit, comply to the work of Christ on the Cross. God has
provided grace and apostleship to all men everywhere to repent and
believe the gospel. To submit to what He has done on the Cross. To
believe on the Lord Jesus and they shall be saved.
“But
the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith
of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith
came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should
afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our school master to
bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after
that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are
all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Gal3:22-26
Faith
came with Christ. When we believed on Jesus we came under the faith.
The faith became the place where we belonged and where we were
justified in the sight of God. The faith and Christ are synonymous.
You cannot speak of one without the other. When we came to Christ, we
came to the faith. We ceased to be under the law which was a type and
a shadow. We came to the reality of Christ. This reality is the
faith.
What
is being established in the faith?
“For
it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And,
having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile
all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in
earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In
the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and
unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If
ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away
from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was
preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am
made a minister;” Col1:19-23
God
has completely and totally reconciled us unto Himself. We who in the
past were alienated, estranged and enemies have now been drawn unto
Him through Jesus' death on the Cross.
Christ's
death now presents us holy, unblameable and unreproveable in God's
sight. This is the faith that we are urged to stand steadfast in.
This is what we are urged to continue in, to be grounded and settled
and be not moved away from. These realities are what God wants us to
be established upon. This is what keeps us from being moved away from
the hope of the gospel.
“As
ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him:
Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have
been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Col2:6-7
Being
established in the faith then simply means trusting in the fact that
God did everything that He said He had done through Jesus. It is
being grounded and settled in the righteousness of God by faith which
is communicated to us through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has to
do with being rooted and grounded. Being firm and immovable.
This
is what God desires for all of us; to continue, to stay at, to be
still, to abide, to remain, to persevere in what He has accomplished
on the Cross by His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. To be rooted in
Christ.
THE
WARNING NOT TO DEPART
“Now
the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines
of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared
with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from
meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of
them which believe and know the truth.” 1Tim4:1-2
Read
1Tim6 and Jude3
The
apostles Paul and Peter constantly warn us against departing from the
faith. They warn us about the perils of failing to understand the
faith and thus pursuing other things and purposes that are not really
the purpose or the grace of God. It is indeed possible to depart from
the faith unto other vain things. This is sadly becoming more common
in the church today with people more interested in material gain
instead of godliness. Our focus has become the material benefits that
we can obtain from our salvation rather than the purpose and glory of
God which He saved us for.
On
the other hand some men have departed from the grace of God back into
the law and bodily discipline as a way of salvation and
justification. These we are warned against. They have given heed to
seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. They are forbidding to
marry and others encouraging abstinence from meat. This doesn't
glorify God.
Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for
you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist
stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of
all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish,
strengthen, settle you.” 1Pet5:6-10
Vs
8; the devil, our adversary walks around seeking whom he may devour.
He cannot devour everybody, he seeks those that are weak and
susceptible. That’s why Peter uses the word ‘may’.
Satan
can only devour those that are unbalanced, not sober, not stable, not
firm in the faith. It’s why we are told to be sober and vigilant.
To be rooted, grounded and stable. Only a good foundation offers
stability. And when you are stable then satan can’t devour you.
Vs
9; the way we resist/defeat satan is to be steadfast, stable,
grounded in the faith. Our stability in the faith gives us the
ability to resist and withstand satan. Stability creates ability.
Vs
10; God wants and is able to establish, strengthen and settle us in
Christ Jesus. He doesn’t just leave this responsibility to us. He
seeks to help us through the indwelling Holy Spirit to be rooted and
grounded.
“Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?
Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will
show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug
deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the
stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it
had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is
like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When
the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of
that house was great.” Lk6:46-49 ESV
May we be established, rooted and grounded in the faith.
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